John Berry

River Ridge Inn is my favorite. It is on the Norfork and has access to some water that doesn't get pounded quite as much.

I think that they are just trying to get the lakes down below flood pool. I estimate that all of the lakes will be below flood pool in a matter of days and we will see some wadable water then.

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 8/29/2013 During the past week, we have had no rain, hot temperatures and moderate winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals fell one and eight tenths of a foot to rest at five and two tenths feet above power pool of 661 feet. This is twenty eight and eight tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock Lake remained steady at power pool and fourteen feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake fell four tenths of a foot to rest at power pool or eight and six tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we have had moderate flows in the morning and heavy generation in the afternoon. Norfork Lake fell two and seven tenths feet to rest at three and one tenth feet above power pool of 555.8 feet and twenty one and two tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we have had heavy generation all day. The water level for the top of power pool has been reset higher for all of the lakes in the White River system. With Beaver and table rock Lakes at power pool and Bull Shoals and Norfork dropping about one third of a foot per day, I predict that both will be at power pool in two weeks or less and we should return to wadable water then. On the White, the hot spot has been Wildcat Shoals. The best time to fish is early morning or late in the afternoon. The hot flies were prince nymphs, zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, copper Johns, pink and cerise San Juan worms, gold ribbed hare’s ears and sowbugs. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise). On the higher flows some anglers have been fishing large streamers on the heavy flows we have been getting later in the day and having success. This requires heavy sink tip lines, heavy rods (eight weights or better) and advanced casting skills. The hot flies have been large articulated streamers in various colors. Hopper season is in full swing. These are tempting morsels for large trout. You need a stiff six weight rod and a stout seven and a half foot 4X leader. My favorite hopper patterns are the western style foam hoppers with rubber legs and a bright quick sight patch on the back. Dave’s hoppers are also a good choice but be sure to dress them with plenty of fly floatant to ensure that they ride high. A small nymph dropper can increase your takes. It is not uncommon to take more trout on the dropper. My favorite dropper flies are beadhead pheasant tails or zebra midges. Crooked Creek and the Buffalo River are high but navigable and both are receiving a lot of pressure. With summer here, the smallmouths are active. The most effective fly has been a tan and brown Clouser minnow. Carefully check the water level before entering Crooked Creek or the Buffalo River. There are no dams on these streams. They both have large drainages and are prone to flooding during and following any rain event. The water can rise very quickly. There has been no wadable water on the Norfork but it has fished well. The most productive flies have been small midge patterns like zebra midges (black or red with silver wire and silver bead). Grasshoppers have started producing fish, particularly when used in conjunction with a small nymph dropper (try a size 20 black zebra midge). Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise). The fishing is much better in the morning and late afternoon and tapers off midday. Dry Run Creek has fished well. School is back in session and now is a great time to fish it, particularly during the week. Weekends can get a bit crowded. The hot flies have been sowbugs and various colored San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot fluorescent pink and cerise). Small orange or peach eggs have been very effective. Use at least 4X tippet and carry the largest net that you can find to increase your chances of landing these big fish. The water level on the Spring River is fishable. This is a great place to wade fish when they are running water on the White and Norfork Rivers. Canoe season is in full swing and the canoeists can a problem. Fish the upper river at the Lassiter Access to avoid them or fish Dam Three late in the afternoon, after they have left the area. Be sure to wear cleated boots and carry a wading staff. There is a lot of bedrock that can get very slick. The hot flies have been olive woolly buggers with a bit of flash, cerise and hot pink San Juan worms and Y2Ks. Remember that the White and Norfork Rivers and Dry Run Creek are infected with didymo, an invasive alga. Be sure and thoroughly clean and dry your waders (especially the felt soles on wading boots) before using them in any other water. Many manufacturers are now making rubber soled wading boots that are easier to clean and are not as likely to harbor didymo. My wife, Lori, and I will begin our annual fall fly fishing classes at Arkansas State University Mountain Home on September 5, 12, 19 and 26. Contact the University to sign up for this Community Education Course. John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years. John can be reached at (870) 435-2169 or http://www.berrybrothersguides.com.

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 8/15/2013 During the past week, we have had several heavy rain events (totaling a bit over three inches here in Cotter), cooler temperatures and moderate winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals rose five and two tenths feet to rest at six and two tenths feet above power pool of 661 feet. This is twenty seven and two tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock Lake remained steady at one foot above power pool and thirteen feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake rose two and three tenths of a foot to rest at six tenths of a foot above power pool or eight feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we have had no wadable water and moderate levels of generation. Norfork Lake rose five and one tenth feet to rest at six and one tenth feet above power pool of 555.8 feet or eighteen and two tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we have had wadable most days. The water level for the top of power pool has been reset higher for all of the lakes in the White River system. The recent rains have raised all of the lakes in the White River System to a level above power pool. All are now in flood pool. As a result, I predict more generation and less wadable water in the coming weeks. On the White, the hot spot has been Rim Shoals. The best time to fish is early morning or late in the afternoon. The hot flies were prince nymphs, zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, copper Johns, pink and cerise San Juan worms, gold ribbed hare’s ears and sowbugs. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise). On the higher flows some anglers have been fishing large streamers on the heavy flows we have been getting later in the day and having success. This requires heavy sink tip lines, heavy rods (eight weights or better) and advanced casting skills. The hot flies have been large articulated streamers in various colors. Hopper season is in full swing. These are tempting morsels for large trout. You need a stiff six weight rod and a stout seven and a half foot 4X leader. My favorite hopper patterns are the western style foam hoppers with rubber legs and a bright quick sight patch on the back. Dave’s hoppers are also a good choice but be sure to dress them with plenty of fly floatant to ensure that they ride high. A small nymph dropper can increase your takes. It is not uncommon to take more trout on the dropper. My favorite dropper flies are beadhead pheasant tails or zebra midges. Crooked Creek and the Buffalo River are navigable and both are receiving a lot of pressure. With summer here, the smallmouths are active. The most effective fly has been a tan and brown Clouser minnow. Carefully check the water level before entering Crooked Creek or the Buffalo River. There are no dams on these streams. They both have large drainages and are prone to flooding during and following any rain event. The water can rise very quickly. There has been wadable water on the Norfork most days and it has fished well. The most productive flies have been small (size 20 or smaller) midge patterns like zebra midges (black or red with silver wire and silver bead) and Dan’s turkey tail emerger or soft hackles like my green butt or the partridge and orange. There has also been a sparse hatch of very small mayflies; reliable hatches of midges (try a size 22 parachute Adams for both), some smaller caddis (size 18). Grasshoppers have started producing fish, particularly when used in conjunction with a small nymph dropper (try a size 20 black zebra midge). Olive woolly buggers have also accounted for a lot of trout. The fishing is much better in the morning and late afternoon and tapers off midday. Dry Run Creek has fished well. School is out and there is much more traffic on the stream. You should fish early or late to avoid the crowds. Weekends can get quite crowded. The hot flies have been sowbugs and various colored San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot fluorescent pink and cerise). Small orange or peach eggs have been very effective. Use at least 4X tippet and carry the largest net that you can find to increase your chances of landing these big fish. The water level on the Spring River is fishable. This is a great place to wade fish when they are running water on the White and Norfork Rivers. Canoe season is in full swing and the canoeists can a problem. Fish the upper river at the Lassiter Access to avoid them. Be sure to wear cleated boots and carry a wading staff. There is a lot of bedrock that can get very slick. The hot flies have been olive woolly buggers with a bit of flash, cerise and hot pink San Juan worms and Y2Ks. Remember that the White and Norfork Rivers and Dry Run Creek are infected with didymo, an invasive alga. Be sure and thoroughly clean and dry your waders (especially the felt soles on wading boots) before using them in any other water. Many manufacturers are now making rubber soled wading boots that are easier to clean and are not as likely to harbor didymo. John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years.

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 8/09/2013 During the past week, we have had several heavy rain events (totaling a bit over three inches here in Cotter), warmer temperatures and moderate winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals rose one foot to rest at power pool of 661 feet. This is thirty four feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock Lake rose one and five tenths feet to rest at one foot above power pool and thirteen feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake rose four tenths of a foot to rest at one and seven tenths feet below power pool or ten and three tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we have had marginally wadable water last weekend and high levels of generation since. Norfork Lake rose two and one tenth feet to rest at one foot above power pool of 555.8 feet or twenty three and two tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we have had wadable most days. The water level for the top of power pool has been reset higher for all of the lakes in the White River system. This plus some aggressive generation has brought all of them to a water level at or near power pool. As a result, I expect more wadable water in the future. The lower flows on the White River last weekend were around 700 CFS (cubic feet per second) which is about one fifth of a full generator and lower than the flows of previous weeks and more wadable. Some sections have been quite productive under these flows. You should use extreme caution when wading these flows and always carry a wading staff. Move carefully and constantly monitor the water level for subtle increases. On the White, the hot spot has been Round House Shoals. The best time to fish is early morning or late in the afternoon. The hot flies were prince nymphs, zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, copper Johns, pink and cerise San Juan worms, gold ribbed hare’s ears and sowbugs. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise). On the higher flows some anglers have been fishing large streamers on the heavy flows we have been getting later in the day and having success. This requires heavy sink tip lines, heavy rods (eight weights or better) and advanced casting skills. The hot flies have been large articulated streamers in various colors. Hopper season is in full swing. These are tempting morsels for large trout. You need a stiff six weight rod and a stout seven and a half foot 4X leader. My favorite hopper patterns are the western style foam hoppers with rubber legs and a bright quick sight patch on the back. Dave’s hoppers are also a good choice but be sure to dress them with plenty of fly floatant to ensure that they ride high. A small nymph dropper can increase your takes. It is not uncommon to take more trout on the dropper. My favorite dropper flies are beadhead pheasant tails or zebra midges. Crooked Creek and the Buffalo River are navigable and both are receiving a lot of pressure. With summer here, the smallmouths are active. The most effective fly has been a tan and brown Clouser minnow. Carefully check the water level before entering Crooked Creek or the Buffalo River. There are no dams on these streams. They both have large drainages and are prone to flooding during and following any rain event. The water can rise very quickly. There has been wadable water on the Norfork most days and it has fished well. The most productive flies have been small (size 20 or smaller) midge patterns like zebra midges (black or red with silver wire and silver bead) and Dan’s turkey tail emerger or soft hackles like my green butt or the partridge and orange. There has also been a sparse hatch of very small mayflies; reliable hatches of midges (try a size 22 parachute Adams for both), some smaller caddis (size 18). Grasshoppers have started producing fish, particularly when used in conjunction with a small nymph dropper (try a size 20 black zebra midge). Olive woolly buggers have also accounted for a lot of trout. The fishing is much better in the morning and late afternoon and tapers off midday. Dry Run Creek has fished well. School is out and there is much more traffic on the stream. You should fish early or late to avoid the crowds. Weekends can get quite crowded. The hot flies have been sowbugs and various colored San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot fluorescent pink and cerise). Small orange or peach eggs have been very effective. Use at least 4X tippet and carry the largest net that you can find to increase your chances of landing these big fish. The water level on the Spring River is fishable. This is a great place to wade fish when they are running water on the White and Norfork Rivers. Canoe season is in full swing and the canoeists can a problem. Fish the upper river at the Lassiter Access to avoid them. Be sure to wear cleated boots and carry a wading staff. There is a lot of bedrock that can get very slick. The hot flies have been olive woolly buggers with a bit of flash, cerise and hot pink San Juan worms and Y2Ks. Remember that the White and Norfork Rivers and Dry Run Creek are infected with didymo, an invasive alga. Be sure and thoroughly clean and dry your waders (especially the felt soles on wading boots) before using them in any other water. Many manufacturers are now making rubber soled wading boots that are easier to clean and are not as likely to harbor didymo. John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years.

I fish foam western hoppers in tan with a dropper.

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 8/01/2013 During the past week, we have had several moderate rain events, cooler temperatures and moderate winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals fell one tenth of a foot to rest at one foot below power pool of 661 feet. This is thirty five feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock Lake rose six tenths of a foot to rest at five tenths of a foot below power pool and fourteen and five tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake rose one tenth of a foot to rest at two and one tenth feet below power pool or ten and seven tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we have had marginally wadable water and periods of high levels of generation. Norfork Lake fell one tenths of a foot to rest at one and one tenth feet below power pool of 555.8 feet or twenty five and three tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we have had wadable water every day. The water level for the top of power pool has been reset higher for all of the lakes in the White River system. This plus some aggressive generation has brought all of them to a water level below power pool. As a result, I expect more wadable water in the future. The lower flows on the White River this past week have been around 700 CFS (cubic feet per second) which is about one fifth of a full generator and lower than the flows of previous weeks and more wadable. Some sections have been quite productive under these flows. You should use extreme caution when wading these flows and always carry a wading staff. Move carefully and constantly monitor the water level for subtle increases. On the White, the hot spot has been Rim Shoals. The best time to fish is early morning or late in the afternoon. The hot flies were prince nymphs, zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, copper Johns, pink and cerise San Juan worms, gold ribbed hares ears and sowbugs. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise). Some anglers have been fishing large streamers on the heavy flows we have been getting later in the day and having success. This requires heavy sink tip lines, heavy rods (eight weights or better) and advanced casting skills. The hot flies have been large articulated streamers in various colors. Hopper season is in full swing. These are tempting morsels for large trout. You need a stiff six weight rod and a stout seven and a half foot 4X leader. My favorite hopper patterns are the western style foam hoppers with rubber legs and a bright quick sight patch on the back. Daves hoppers are also a good choice but be sure to dress them with plenty of fly floatant to ensure that they ride high. A small nymph dropper can increase your takes. It is not uncommon to take more trout on the dropper. My favorite dropper flies are beadhead pheasant tails or zebra midges. Crooked Creek and the Buffalo River are barely navigable and both are receiving a lot of pressure. With summer here, the smallmouths are active. The most effective fly has been a tan and brown Clouser minnow. Carefully check the water level before entering Crooked Creek or the Buffalo River. There are no dams on these streams. They both have large drainages and are prone to flooding during and following any rain event. The water can rise very quickly. There has been wadable water on the Norfork every day and it has fished well. The most productive flies have been small (size 20 or smaller) midge patterns like zebra midges (black or red with silver wire and silver bead) and Dans turkey tail emerger or soft hackles like my green butt or the partridge and orange. There has also been a sparse hatch of very small mayflies; reliable hatches of midges (try a size 22 parachute Adams for both), some smaller caddis (size 18). Grasshoppers have started producing fish, particularly when used in conjunction with a small nymph dropper (try a size 20 black zebra midge). Olive woolly buggers have also accounted for a lot of trout. The fishing is much better in the morning and late afternoon and tapers off midday. Dry Run Creek has fished well. School is out and there is much more traffic on the stream. You should fish early or late to avoid the crowds. Weekends can get quite crowded. The hot flies have been sowbugs and various colored San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot fluorescent pink and cerise). Small orange or peach eggs have been very effective. Use at least 4X tippet to increase your chances of landing these big fish. While you are there, take a tour of the adjacent Norfork National fish Hatchery. It is fascinating. Be sure to remove your waders before entering to prevent the spread of aquatic diseases. The water level on the Spring River is fishable. This is a great place to wade fish when they are running water on the White and Norfork Rivers. Canoe season is in full swing and the canoeists can a problem. Fish the upper river at the Lassiter Access to avoid them. Be sure to wear cleated boots and carry a wading staff. There is a lot of bedrock that can get very slick. The hot flies have been olive woolly buggers with a bit of flash, cerise and hot pink San Juan worms and Y2Ks. Remember that the White and Norfork Rivers and Dry Run Creek are infected with didymo, an invasive alga. Be sure and thoroughly clean and dry your waders (especially the felt soles on wading boots) before using them in any other water. Many manufacturers are now making rubber soled wading boots that are easier to clean and are not as likely to harbor didymo. John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years.

WADE FISHING MINIMUM FLOW BY JOHN BERRY After many years of waiting, minimum flow on the White River is finally here. The general idea is to make the lowest flows coming through our dams a bit higher. This will provide a larger wetted area that will provide more habitat for trout and other aquatic plant and insect life forms. It will also aid navigation. Before minimum flow the amount of water leaking through the generators was around 50 CFS (cubic feet per second). The new target flows are around 600 CFS. This is twelve times the volume of water of the previous low flow. The water will only be a few inches higher but the flow will be significantly increased. When I called the dam this morning to check the level of generation, the recording said that they had one generator on. When I went to the Corps of Engineer’s website and checked current flows, it indicated that the flows were 674 CFS, which is approximately 20 % or one fifth of a full generator. It is important that you realize that one generator can be a full generator (3300 CFS) or something much less. For that reason, I consider the Corps of Engineers website, which has current flows listed by CFS, to be a more useful indicator of safe wading conditions. Under minimum flow, wading will be more difficult but not impossible. There will be a learning curve to adjust to the higher flows. Sections that were marginally wadable under the lower flows will be treacherous. You will have to be more careful when selecting your route. I would recommend that you wear studded wading boots for more traction particularly on bedrock and always carry a wading staff for more stability. Monitor the water level more closely. Any increase in the height of the water will be more critical and must be acted on immediately. As soon as you detect rising water, you should leave. My wife, Lori, and I have safely waded flows in Cotter up to 1500 CFS. It should be noted that we are experienced waders with good gear. I wear waist high waders in the summer, because they are cooler. I found myself with only about a half inch of free board on one occasion and had to change my route, to prevent the water from entering my waders. Chest high waders may be a more practical alternative for heavier flows. The fishing will not be adversely affected, in fact, it should be better. It has been for Lori and me. It is important to remember that the trout are still there. They may or may not be in the same place but they are still there. On our first trip under the increased flow regimen, we chose a spot that did not fish as well on very low flows. It was a spot that held plenty of fish but generally fished better before all of the flow dropped out. On absolute low flows, it was difficult to fish as there was little current and the water was generally too shallow to nymph or fish streamers effectively. Under those conditions we fished soft hackles or dry flies. We found that the deeper spots that we favored on previous trips were still quite productive. I found that we needed to use a bit more lead on the leader and set the strike indicator a little deeper in order to get the nymphs down in the increased flows. Lori found that fishing small streamers (size ten woolly buggers) was very effective although she found that she had to place a bit more lead on the leader to get the fly down to the bottom of the water column. The soft hackles and midge emergers that we usually use still produced fish. After fishing my usual spots and doing well, I decided to go exploring and see if I could find new holding water. With the increased flows I found several and did not have to look that hard to find them. Spots that were previously too shallow and did not have constant flows through them were now great feeding lanes that offered the trout concentrated food and protection. I fished them and did well. Don’t be intimidated by the higher flows associated with minimum flows. Be cautious when wading and alter your rigging to accommodate the higher flows. Seek out and fish new trout holding water. I think you will like it!

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 7/25/2013 During the past week, we have had several moderate rain events, very hot temperatures (it hit 99 degrees here in Cotter) and moderate winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals fell three tenths of a foot to rest at nine tenths feet below power pool of 661 feet. This is thirty four and nine tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock Lake fell four tenths of a foot to rest at one and one tenth feet below power pool and fifteen and one tenth feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake fell five tenths of a foot to rest at two and two tenths feet below power pool or ten and eight tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we have had marginally wadable water and periods of high levels of generation. Norfork Lake fell two tenths of a foot to rest at a foot below power pool of 555.8 feet or twenty five and two tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we have had wadable water every day. The water level for the top of power pool has been reset higher for all of the lakes in the White River system. This plus some aggressive generation has brought all of them to a water level below power pool. As a result, I expect more wadable water in the future. The lower flows on the White River this past week have been around 980 to 1200 CFS (cubic feet per second) which is about one quarter to one third of a full generator. It has been marginally wadable. Some sections have been quite productive under these flows. You should use extreme caution when wading these flows and always carry a wading staff. Move carefully and constantly monitor the water level for subtle increases. On the White, the hot spot has been the State Park. The best time to fish is early morning or late in the afternoon. The hot flies were prince nymphs, zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, copper Johns, pink and cerise San Juan worms, gold ribbed hare’s ears and sowbugs. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise). Some anglers have been fishing large streamers on the heavy flows we have been getting later in the day and having success. This requires heavy sink tip lines, heavy rods (eight weights or better) and advanced casting skills. The hot flies have been large articulated streamers in various colors. Hopper season is in full swing. These are tempting morsels for large trout. You need a stiff six weight rod and a stout seven and a half foot 4X leader. My favorite hopper patterns are the western style foam hoppers with rubber legs and a bright quick sight patch on the back. Dave’s hoppers are also a good choice but be sure to dress them with plenty of fly floatant to ensure that they ride high. A small nymph dropper can increase your takes. It is not uncommon to take more trout on the dropper. My favorite dropper flies are beadhead pheasant tails or zebra midges. Crooked Creek and the Buffalo River are navigable (water levels are getting low) and both are receiving a lot of pressure. With summer here, the smallmouths are active. The most effective fly has been a tan and brown Clouser minnow. Carefully check the water level before entering Crooked Creek or the Buffalo River. There are no dams on these streams. They both have large drainages and are prone to flooding during and following any rain event. The water can rise very quickly. There has been wadable water on the Norfork every day and it has fished well. The most productive flies have been small (size 20 or smaller) midge patterns like zebra midges (black or red with silver wire and silver bead) and Dan’s turkey tail emerger or soft hackles like my green butt or the partridge and orange. There has also been a sparse hatch of very small mayflies; reliable hatches of midges (try a size 22 parachute Adams for both), some smaller caddis (size 18). Grasshoppers have started producing fish, particularly when used in conjunction with a small nymph dropper (try a size 20 black zebra midge). Olive woolly buggers have also accounted for a lot of trout. The fishing is much better in the morning and late afternoon and tapers off midday. Dry Run Creek has fished well. School is out and there is much more traffic on the stream. You should fish early or late to avoid the crowds. Weekends can get quite crowded. The hot flies have been sowbugs and various colored San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot fluorescent pink and cerise). Small orange or peach eggs have been very effective. Use at least 4X tippet to increase your chances of landing these big fish. The water level on the Spring River is fishable. This is a great place to wade fish when they are running water on the White and Norfork Rivers. Canoe season is in full swing and the canoeists can a problem. Fish the upper river at the Lassiter Access to avoid them. Be sure to wear cleated boots and carry a wading staff. There is a lot of bedrock that can get very slick. The hot flies have been olive woolly buggers with a bit of flash, cerise and hot pink San Juan worms and Y2Ks. Remember that the White and Norfork Rivers and Dry Run Creek are infected with didymo, an invasive alga. Be sure and thoroughly clean and dry your waders (especially the felt soles on wading boots) before using them in any other water. Many manufacturers are now making rubber soled wading boots that are easier to clean and are not as likely to harbor didymo. John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years.

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 7/18/2013 During the past week, we have had no rain, very hot temperatures (it hit 99 degrees here in Cotter) and moderate winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals fell two tenths of a foot to rest at six tenths feet below power pool of 661 feet. This is thirty four and six tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock Lake fell three tenths of a foot to rest at seven tenths of a foot below power pool and fourteen and seven tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake fell eight tenths of a foot to rest at one and seven tenths feet below power pool or ten and three tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we have had marginally wadable water and periods of high levels of generation. Norfork Lake fell eight tenths of a foot to rest at eight tenths of a foot below power pool of 555.8 feet or twenty five feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we have had wadable water every day. The water level for the top of power pool has been reset higher for all of the lakes in the White River system. This plus some aggressive generation has brought all of them to a water level below power pool. As a result, I expect more wadable water in the future. The lower flows on the White River this past week have been around 1200 to 1800 CFS (cubic feet per second) which is about one third to one half of a full generator. It has been marginally wadable. Some sections have been quite productive under these flows. You should use extreme caution when wading these flows and always carry a wading staff. Move carefully and constantly monitor the water level for subtle increases. On the White, the hot spot has been Rim Shoals. The best time to fish is early morning or late in the afternoon. The hot flies were prince nymphs, zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, copper Johns, pink and cerise San Juan worms, gold ribbed hare’s ears and sowbugs. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise). Some anglers have been fishing large streamers on the heavy flows we have been getting later in the day and having success. This requires heavy sink tip lines, heavy rods (eight weights or better) and advanced casting skills. The hot flies have been large articulated streamers in various colors. Hopper season is in full swing. These are tempting morsels for large trout. You need a stiff six weight rod and a stout seven and a half foot 4X leader. My favorite hopper patterns are the western style foam hoppers with rubber legs and a bright quick sight patch on the back. Dave’s hoppers are also a good choice but be sure to dress them with plenty of fly floatant to ensure that they ride high. A small nymph dropper can increase your takes. It is not uncommon to take more trout on the dropper. My favorite dropper flies are beadhead pheasant tails or zebra midges. Crooked Creek and the Buffalo River are navigable (water levels are getting low) and both are receiving a lot of pressure. With summer here, the smallmouths are active. The most effective fly has been a tan and brown Clouser minnow. Carefully check the water level before entering Crooked Creek or the Buffalo River. There are no dams on these streams. They both have large drainages and are prone to flooding during and following any rain event. The water can rise very quickly. There has been wadable water on the Norfork every day and it has fished well. The most productive flies have been small (size 20 or smaller) midge patterns like zebra midges (black or red with silver wire and silver bead) and Dan’s turkey tail emerger or soft hackles like my green butt or the partridge and orange. There has also been a sparse hatch of very small mayflies; reliable hatches of midges (try a size 22 parachute Adams for both), some smaller caddis (size 18) and the crane flies are still coming off. Grasshoppers have started producing fish, particularly when used in conjunction with a small nymph dropper (try a size 20 black zebra midge). Olive woolly buggers have also accounted for a lot of trout. The fishing is much better in the morning and late afternoon and tapers off midday. Dry Run Creek has fished well. School is out and there is much more traffic on the stream. You should fish early or late to avoid the crowds. Weekends can get quite crowded. The hot flies have been sowbugs and various colored San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot fluorescent pink and cerise). Small orange or peach eggs have been very effective. Use at least 4X tippet to increase your chances of landing these big fish. The water level on the Spring River is fishable. This is a great place to wade fish when they are running water on the White and Norfork Rivers. Canoe season is in full swing and the canoeists can a problem. Fish the upper river at the Lassiter Access to avoid them. Be sure to wear cleated boots and carry a wading staff. There is a lot of bedrock that can get very slick. The hot flies have been olive woolly buggers with a bit of flash, cerise and hot pink San Juan worms and Y2Ks. Remember that the White and Norfork Rivers and Dry Run Creek are infected with didymo, an invasive alga. Be sure and thoroughly clean and dry your waders (especially the felt soles on wading boots) before using them in any other water. Many manufacturers are now making rubber soled wading boots that are easier to clean and are not as likely to harbor didymo. John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years.

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 7/11/2013 During the past week, we have had no rain, very hot temperatures (it hit 100 degrees here in Cotter) and moderate winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals fell two tenths of a foot to rest at four tenths feet below power pool of 661.4 feet. This is thirty four and two tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock Lake fell five tenths of a foot to rest at four tenths of a foot below power pool and fourteen and seven tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake fell one and one tenth feet to rest at nine tenths feet below power pool or nine and five tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we have had limited wadable water and periods of high levels of generation. Norfork Lake fell four tenths feet to rest at one tenth of a foot below power pool of 555.8 feet or twenty four and two tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we have had wadable water every day. The water level for the top of power pool has been reset higher for all of the lakes in the White River system. This plus some aggressive generation has brought all of them to a water level below power pool. As a result, I expect more wadable water in the future. The lower flows on the White River this past week have been around 1200 to 1800 CFS (cubic feet per second) which is about one third to one half of a full generator. It has been marginally wadable. Some sections have been quite productive under these flows. You should use extreme caution when wading these flows and always carry a wading staff. Move carefully and constantly monitor the water level for subtle increases. On the White, the hot spot has been Round House Shoals. The best time to fish is early morning or late in the afternoon. The hot flies were prince nymphs, zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, copper Johns, pink and cerise San Juan worms, gold ribbed hare’s ears and sowbugs. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise). Some anglers have been fishing large streamers on the heavy flows we have been getting later in the day and having success. This requires heavy sink tip lines, heavy rods (eight weights or better) and advanced casting skills. The hot flies have been large articulated streamers in various colors. Hopper season is in full swing. These are tempting morsels for large trout. You need a stiff six weight rod and a stout seven and a half foot 4X leader. My favorite hopper patterns are the western style foam hoppers with rubber legs and a bright quick sight patch on the back. Dave’s hoppers are also a good choice but be sure to dress them with plenty of fly floatant to ensure that they ride high. A small nymph dropper can increase your takes. It is not uncommon to take more trout on the dropper. My favorite dropper flies are beadhead pheasant tails or zebra midges. Crooked Creek and the Buffalo River are navigable and both are receiving a lot of pressure. With summer here, the smallmouths are active. The most effective fly has been a tan and brown Clouser minnow. Carefully check the water level before entering Crooked Creek or the Buffalo River. There are no dams on these streams. They both have large drainages and are prone to flooding during and following any rain event. The water can rise very quickly. There has been wadable water on the Norfork every day and it has fished well. The most productive flies have been small (size 20 or smaller) midge patterns like zebra midges (black or red with silver wire and silver bead) and Dan’s turkey tail emerger or soft hackles like my green butt or the partridge and orange. There has also been a sparse hatch of very small mayflies; reliable hatches of midges (try a size 22 parachute Adams for both), some smaller caddis (size 18) and the crane flies are still coming off. Grasshoppers have started producing fish, particularly when used in conjunction with a small nymph dropper (try a size 20 black zebra midge). Olive woolly buggers have also accounted for a lot of trout. The fishing is much better in the morning and late afternoon and tapers off midday. Dry Run Creek has fished well. School is out and there is much more traffic on the stream. You should fish early or late to avoid the crowds. Weekends can get quite crowded. The hot flies have been sowbugs and various colored San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot fluorescent pink and cerise). Small orange or peach eggs have been very effective. Use at least 4X tippet to increase your chances of landing these big fish. The water level on the Spring River is fishable. This is a great place to wade fish when they are running water on the White and Norfork Rivers. Canoe season is in full swing and the canoeists can a problem. Fish the upper river at the Lassiter Access to avoid them. Be sure to wear cleated boots and carry a wading staff. There is a lot of bedrock that can get very slick. The hot flies have been olive woolly buggers with a bit of flash, cerise and hot pink San Juan worms and Y2Ks. Remember that the White and Norfork Rivers and Dry Run Creek are infected with didymo, an invasive alga. Be sure and thoroughly clean and dry your waders (especially the felt soles on wading boots) before using them in any other water. Many manufacturers are now making rubber soled wading boots that are easier to clean and are not as likely to harbor didymo. John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years.

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 7/04/2013 During the past week, we have had a minor rain event (just a trace here in Cotter), cooler temperatures and moderate winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals fell one and two tenths feet to rest at two tenths feet below power pool of 661.4 feet. This is thirty three and eight tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock Lake fell one tenth of a foot to rest at two tenths of a foot above power pool and fourteen and two tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake fell two feet to rest at two tenths feet below power pool or eight and four tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we have had limited wadable water and periods of high levels of generation. Norfork Lake fell two and one tenth feet to rest at three tenths feet above power pool of 556.1 feet or twenty three and six tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we have had no wadable water. The water level for the top of power pool has been reset higher for all of the lakes in the White River system. This plus some aggressive generation has brought all of them to a water level at or below power pool. As a result, I expect more wadable water in the future. On the White, the hot spot has been the section from the State Park down to White hole. The best time to fish is early morning or late in the afternoon. Midday can be slow. The hot flies were prince nymphs, zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, copper Johns, pink and cerise San Juan worms, gold ribbed hare’s ears and sowbugs. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise). Some anglers have been fishing large streamers on the heavy flows we have been getting and having success. This requires heavy sink tip lines, heavy rods (eight weights or better) and advanced casting skills. The hot flies have been large articulated streamers in various colors. Hopper season has begun. These are tempting morsels for large trout. You need a stiff six weight rod and a stout seven and a half foot 4X leader. My favorite hopper patterns are the western style foam hoppers with rubber legs and a bright quick sight patch on the back. Dave’s hoppers are also a good choice but be sure to dress them with plenty of fly floatant to ensure that they ride high. A small nymph dropper can increase your takes. It is not uncommon to take more trout on the dropper. My favorite dropper flies are beadhead pheasant tails or zebra midges. Crooked Creek and the Buffalo River are navigable and both are receiving a lot of pressure. With summer here, the smallmouths are active. The most effective fly has been a tan and brown Clouser minnow. Carefully check the water level before entering Crooked Creek or the Buffalo River. There are no dams on these streams. They both have large drainages and are prone to flooding during and following any rain event. The water can rise very quickly. There has been no wadable water on the Norfork. The most productive flies have been small (size 20 or smaller) midge patterns like zebra midges (black or red with silver wire and silver bead) and Dan’s turkey tail emerger or soft hackles like my green butt or the partridge and orange. There has also been a sparse hatch of very small mayflies; reliable hatches of midges (try a size 22 parachute Adams for both), some smaller caddis (size 18) and the crane flies are still coming off. Grasshoppers have started producing fish, particularly when used in conjunction with a small nymph dropper (try a size 20 black zebra midge). Olive woolly buggers have also accounted for a lot of trout. The fishing is much better in the morning and late afternoon and tapers off midday. Dry Run Creek has fished well. School is out and there is much more traffic on the stream. You should fish early or late to avoid the crowds. Weekends can get quite crowded. The hot flies have been sowbugs and various colored San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot fluorescent pink and cerise). Small orange or peach eggs have been very effective. Use at least 4X tippet to increase your chances of landing these big fish. Carefully handle and release all trout. Take the biggest net that you can lay your hands on. Some of these fish are huge. The water level on the Spring River is fishable. This is a great place to wade fish when they are running water on the White and Norfork Rivers. Canoe season is in full swing and the canoeists can a problem. Fish the upper river at the Lassiter Access to avoid them. Be sure to wear cleated boots and carry a wading staff. There is a lot of bedrock that can get very slick. The hot flies have been olive woolly buggers with a bit of flash, cerise and hot pink San Juan worms and Y2Ks. Remember that the White and Norfork Rivers and Dry Run Creek are infected with didymo, an invasive alga. Be sure and thoroughly clean and dry your waders (especially the felt soles on wading boots) before using them in any other water. Many manufacturers are now making rubber soled wading boots that are easier to clean and are not as likely to harbor didymo. John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years.

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 6/27/2013 During the past week, we have had no rain, very hot temperatures and heavy winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals fell two and five tenths feet to rest at eight and four tenths feet above power pool of 654.00 feet. This is thirty two and six tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock Lake remained steady at one and nine tenths feet above power pool and fourteen and one tenth feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake fell one and nine tenths feet to rest at three and two tenths feet above power pool or six and four tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we have had no wadable water and periods of high levels of generation. Norfork Lake fell one and five tenths feet to rest at four and seven tenths feet above power pool of 553.75 feet or twenty one and five tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we have had less wadable water than in previous weeks. The lakes in the White River system are all above the top of power pool and we are getting more generation. I expect this trend to continue for the next few weeks. On the White, the hot spot has been Rim Shoals. The best time to fish is early morning or late in the afternoon. Midday can be slow. The hot flies were prince nymphs, zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, copper Johns, pink and cerise San Juan worms, gold ribbed hare’s ears and sowbugs. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise). Some anglers have been fishing large streamers on the heavy flows we have been getting and having success. This requires heavy sink tip lines, heavy rods (eight weights or better) and advanced casting skills. The hot flies have been large articulated streamers in various colors. Hopper season has begun. These are tempting morsels for large trout. You need a stiff six weight rod and a stout seven and a half foot 4X leader. My favorite hopper patterns are the western style foam hoppers with rubber legs and a bright quick sight patch on the back. Dave’s hoppers are also a good choice but be sure to dress them with plenty of fly floatant to ensure that they ride high. A small nymph dropper can increase your takes. It is not uncommon to take more trout on the dropper. My favorite dropper flies are beadhead pheasant tails or zebra midges. Crooked Creek and the Buffalo River are navigable and both are receiving a lot of pressure. With summer here, the smallmouths are active. The most effective fly has been a tan and brown Clouser minnow. Carefully check the water level before entering Crooked Creek or the Buffalo River. There are no dams on these streams. They both have large drainages and are prone to flooding during and following any rain event. The water can rise very quickly. There has been wadable water on the Norfork some days. The action has picked up somewhat and, with no wadable water on the White, it can get crowded. You should fish early to avoid the crowds. The most productive flies have been small (size 20 or smaller) midge patterns like zebra midges (black or red with silver wire and silver bead) and Dan’s turkey tail emerger or soft hackles like my green butt or the partridge and orange. There has also been a sparse hatch of very small mayflies; reliable hatches of midges (try a size 22 parachute Adams for both), some smaller caddis (size 18) and the crane flies are still coming off. Grasshoppers have started producing fish, particularly when used in conjunction with a small nymph dropper (try a size 20 black zebra midge). Olive woolly buggers have also accounted for a lot of trout. The fishing is much better in the morning and late afternoon and tapers off midday. Dry Run Creek has fished well. School is out and there is much more traffic on the stream. You should fish early or late to avoid the crowds. Weekends can get quite crowded. The hot flies have been sowbugs and various colored San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot fluorescent pink and cerise). Small orange or peach eggs have been very effective. Use at least 4X tippet to increase your chances of landing these big fish. Carefully handle and release all trout. Take the biggest net that you can lay your hands on. Some of these fish are huge. The water level on the Spring River is fishable. This is a great place to wade fish when they are running water on the White and Norfork Rivers. Canoe season is in full swing and the canoeists can a problem. Fish the upper river at the Lassiter Access to avoid them. Be sure to wear cleated boots and carry a wading staff. There is a lot of bedrock that can get very slick. The hot flies have been olive woolly buggers with a bit of flash, cerise and hot pink San Juan worms and Y2Ks. Remember that the White and Norfork Rivers and Dry Run Creek are infected with didymo, an invasive alga. Be sure and thoroughly clean and dry your waders (especially the felt soles on wading boots) before using them in any other water. Many manufacturers are now making rubber soled wading boots that are easier to clean and are not as likely to harbor didymo. John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years.

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 6/20/2013 During the past week, we have had a several rain events (a total of one and a half inches here in Cotter), hot temperatures and heavy winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals fell two tenths of a foot to rest at ten and nine tenths feet above power pool of 654.00 feet. This is thirty and one tenth feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock Lake fell two tenths of a foot to rest at one and nine tenths feet above power pool and fourteen and one tenth feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake rose one tenth of a foot to rest at five and one tenth feet above power pool or four and five tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we have had no wadable water and periods of high levels of generation. Norfork Lake remained steady at six and two tenths feet above power pool of 553.75 feet or nineteen feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we have had wadable water most days but less than in previous weeks. The lakes in the White River system are all above the top of power pool and we are getting more generation. I expect this trend to continue for the next few weeks. Our major mayfly hatch, the sulphurs, is coming off. So far, this hatch has been very sparse. This is a size fourteen yellow/orange aquatic insect. Before the hatch, concentrate on fishing mayfly nymphs. My favorite is the copper John. When you observe fish feeding near the surface but see no insects, the trout are keying in on the emergers. The best fly for this phase is a partridge and orange soft hackle. Then, when you observe insects on the surface of the water and trout keying in on them, you switch over to the adult insect fly. My hands down choice is the sulphur parachute (size fourteen). On the White, the hot spot has been Rim Shoals. The best time to fish is early morning or late in the afternoon. Midday can be slow. The hot flies were prince nymphs, zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, copper Johns, pink and cerise San Juan worms, gold ribbed hare’s ears and sowbugs. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise). Some anglers have been fishing large streamers on the heavy flows we have been getting most afternoons and having success. This requires heavy sink tip lines, heavy rods (eight weights or better) and advanced casting skills. The hot flies have been large articulated streamers in various colors. Hopper season has begun. These are tempting morsels for large trout. You need a stiff six weight rod and a stout seven and a half foot 4X leader. My favorite hopper patterns are the western style foam hoppers with rubber legs and a bright quick sight patch on the back. Dave’s hoppers are also a good choice but be sure to dress them with plenty of fly floatant to ensure that they ride high. A small nymph dropper can increase your takes. It is not uncommon to take more trout on the dropper. My favorite dropper flies are beadhead pheasant tails or zebra midges. Crooked Creek and the Buffalo River are navigable and both are receiving a lot of pressure. With summer here, the smallmouths are active. The most effective fly has been a tan and brown Clouser minnow. Carefully check the water level before entering Crooked Creek or the Buffalo River. There are no dams on these streams. They both have large drainages and are prone to flooding during and following any rain event. The water can rise very quickly. There has been wadable water on the Norfork almost every day. The action has picked up somewhat and, with no wadable water on the White, it can get crowded. You should fish early to avoid the crowds. The most productive flies have been small (size 20 or smaller) midge patterns like zebra midges (black or red with silver wire and silver bead) and Dan’s turkey tail emerger or soft hackles like my green butt or the partridge and orange. There has also been a sparse hatch of very small mayflies; reliable hatches of midges (try a size 22 parachute Adams for both), some smaller caddis (size 18) and the crane flies are still coming off. Grasshoppers have started producing fish, particularly when used in conjunction with a small nymph dropper (try a size 20 black zebra midge). Olive woolly buggers have also accounted for a lot of trout. The fishing is much better in the morning and late afternoon and tapers off midday. Dry Run Creek has fished well. School is out and there is much more traffic on the stream. You should fish early or late to avoid the crowds. Weekends can get quite crowded. The hot flies have been sowbugs and various colored San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot fluorescent pink and cerise). Small orange or peach eggs have been very effective. Use at least 4X tippet to increase your chances of landing these big fish. Carefully handle and release all trout. Take the biggest net that you can lay your hands on. Some of these fish are huge. The water level on the Spring River is fishable. This is a great place to wade fish when they are running water on the White and Norfork Rivers. Canoe season is in full swing and the canoeists can a problem. Fish the upper river at the Lassiter Access to avoid them. Be sure to wear cleated boots and carry a wading staff. There is a lot of bedrock that can get very slick. The hot flies have been olive woolly buggers with a bit of flash, cerise and hot pink San Juan worms and Y2Ks. Remember that the White and Norfork Rivers and Dry Run Creek are infected with didymo, an invasive alga. Be sure and thoroughly clean and dry your waders (especially the felt soles on wading boots) before using them in any other water. Many manufacturers are now making rubber soled wading boots that are easier to clean and are not as likely to harbor didymo. John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years.

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 6/13/2013 During the past week, we have had a minor rain event, hot temperatures and heavy winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals rose nine tenths of a foot to rest at eleven and two tenths feet above power pool of 654.00 feet. This is twenty nine and eight tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock Lake fell one and two tenths feet to rest at two and one tenth feet above power pool and thirteen and nine tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake fell three tenths foot to rest at five feet above power pool or four and six tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we have had significant periods of wadable water and periods of high levels of generation. Norfork Lake fell five tenths of a foot to rest at six and two tenths feet above power pool of 553.75 feet or nineteen feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we have had wadable water most days. The lakes in the White River system are all above the top of power pool and we are getting more generation. I expect this trend to continue for the next few weeks. Our major mayfly hatch, the sulphurs, is coming off. So far, this hatch has been very sparse. This is a size fourteen yellow/orange aquatic insect. Before the hatch, concentrate on fishing mayfly nymphs. My favorite is the copper John. When you observe fish feeding near the surface but see no insects, the trout are keying in on the emergers. The best fly for this phase is a partridge and orange soft hackle. Then, when you observe insects on the surface of the water and trout keying in on them, you switch over to the adult insect fly. My hands down choice is the sulphur parachute (size fourteen). On the White, we have had significant wadable water. The hot spot has been Rim Shoals. The best time to fish is early morning or late in the afternoon. Midday can be slow. The hot flies were prince nymphs, zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, copper Johns, pink and cerise San Juan worms, gold ribbed hare’s ears and sowbugs. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise). Some anglers have been fishing large streamers on the heavy flows we have been getting most afternoons and having success. This requires heavy sink tip lines, heavy rods (eight weights or better) and advanced casting skills. The hot flies have been large articulated streamers in various colors. Hopper season has begun. These are tempting morsels for large trout. You need a stiff six weight rod and a stout seven and a half foot 4X leader. My favorite hopper patterns are the western style foam hoppers with rubber legs and a bright quick sight patch on the back. Dave’s hoppers are also a good choice but be sure to dress them with plenty of fly floatant to ensure that they ride high. A small nymph dropper can increase your takes. It is not uncommon to take more trout on the dropper. My favorite dropper flies are beadhead pheasant tails or zebra midges. Crooked Creek and the Buffalo River are navigable and both are receiving a lot of pressure. With summer here, the smallmouths are active. The most effective fly has been a tan and brown Clouser minnow. Carefully check the water level before entering Crooked Creek or the Buffalo River. There are no dams on these streams. They both have large drainages and are prone to flooding during and following any rain event. The water can rise very quickly. There has been wadable water on the Norfork almost every day. The action has picked up somewhat. With significant wadable water on the White some days, the crowding has eased somewhat. The most productive flies have been small (size 20 or smaller) midge patterns like zebra midges (black or red with silver wire and silver bead) and Dan’s turkey tail emerger or soft hackles like my green butt or the partridge and orange. There has also been a sparse hatch of very small mayflies; reliable hatches of midges (try a size 22 parachute Adams for both), some smaller caddis (size 18) and the crane flies are still coming off. Grasshoppers have started producing fish, particularly when used in conjunction with a small nymph dropper (try a size 20 black zebra midge). Olive woolly buggers have also accounted for a lot of trout. The fishing is much better in the morning and late afternoon and tapers off midday. Dry Run Creek has fished well. School is out and there is much more traffic on the stream. You should fish early or late to avoid the crowds. The hot flies have been sowbugs and various colored San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot fluorescent pink and cerise). Small orange or peach eggs have been very effective. Use at least 4X tippet to increase your chances of landing these big fish. Carefully handle and release all trout. Take the biggest net that you can lay your hands on. Some of these fish are huge. The water level on the Spring River is fishable. This is a great place to wade fish when they are running water on the White and Norfork Rivers. Canoe season is in full swing and the canoeists can a problem. Fish the upper river at the Lassiter Access to avoid them. Be sure to wear cleated boots and carry a wading staff. There is a lot of bedrock that can get very slick. The hot flies have been olive woolly buggers with a bit of flash, cerise and hot pink San Juan worms and Y2Ks. Remember that the White and Norfork Rivers and Dry Run Creek are infected with didymo, an invasive alga. Be sure and thoroughly clean and dry your waders (especially the felt soles on wading boots) before using them in any other water. Many manufacturers are now making rubber soled wading boots that are easier to clean and are not as likely to harbor didymo. John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years.

You can push the boat down in low water coming back is back breaking work. wait until the water comes up.

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 6/06/2013 During the past week, we have had a rain event (a bit less than an inch in Cotter), warm temperatures and heavy winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals rose one and eight tenths feet to rest at ten and three tenths feet above power pool of 654.00 feet. This is thirty and seven tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock Lake rose one and five tenths feet to rest at three and three tenths feet above power pool and twelve and seven tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake rose a foot to rest at five and three tenths feet above power pool or four and three tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we have had significant periods of wadable water and periods of high levels of generation. Norfork Lake rose one and nine tenths feet to rest at six and seven tenths feet above power pool of 553.75 feet or nineteen and five tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we have had wadable water most days. The lakes in the White River system are all above the top of power pool and we are getting much more generation. I expect this trend to continue for the next few weeks. Our major mayfly hatch, the sulphurs, is coming off. So far, this hatch has been very sparse. This is a size fourteen yellow/orange aquatic insect. Before the hatch, concentrate on fishing mayfly nymphs. My favorite is the copper John. When you observe fish feeding near the surface but see no insects, the trout are keying in on the emergers. The best fly for this phase is a partridge and orange soft hackle. Then, when you observe insects on the surface of the water and trout keying in on them, you switch over to the adult insect fly. My hands down choice is the sulphur parachute (size fourteen). On the White, we have had significant wadable water. The hot spot has been Wildcat Shoals. The best time to fish is early morning or late in the afternoon. Midday can be slow. The hot flies were prince nymphs, zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, copper Johns, pink and cerise San Juan worms, gold ribbed hare’s ears and sowbugs. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise). Some anglers have been fishing large streamers on the heavy flows we have been getting every afternoon and having success. This requires heavy sink tip lines, heavy rods (eight weights or better) and advanced casting skills. The hot flies have been large articulated streamers in various colors. Crooked Creek and the Buffalo River are navigable and both are receiving a lot of pressure. With summer here, the smallmouths are active. The most effective fly has been a tan and brown Clouser minnow. Carefully check the water level before entering Crooked Creek or the Buffalo River. There are no dams on these streams. They both have large drainages and are prone to flooding during and following any rain event. The water can rise very quickly. There has been wadable water on the Norfork almost every day. The action has picked up somewhat. With significant wadable water on the White, the crowding has eased somewhat. The most productive flies have been small (size 20 or smaller) midge patterns like zebra midges (black or red with silver wire and silver bead) and Dan’s turkey tail emerger or soft hackles like my green butt or the partridge and orange. There has also been a sparse hatch of very small mayflies; reliable hatches of midges (try a size 22 parachute Adams for both) and some smaller caddis (size 18). Grasshoppers have started producing fish, particularly when used in conjunction with a small nymph dropper (try a size 20 black zebra midge). Olive woolly buggers have also accounted for a lot of trout. The fishing is much better in the morning and late afternoon and tapers off midday. Dry Run Creek has fished well. School is out and there is much more traffic on the stream. You should fish early or late to avoid the crowds. The hot flies have been sowbugs and various colored San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot fluorescent pink and cerise). Small orange or peach eggs have been very effective. Use at least 4X tippet to increase your chances of landing these big fish. Carefully handle and release all trout. Take the biggest net that you can lay your hands on. Some of these fish are huge. The water level on the Spring River is fishable. This is a great place to wade fish when they are running water on the White and Norfork Rivers. Canoe season will began last weekend and the canoeists can a problem. Fish the upper river at the Lassiter Access to avoid them. Be sure to wear cleated boots and carry a wading staff. There is a lot of bedrock that can get very slick. The hot flies have been olive woolly buggers with a bit of flash, cerise and hot pink San Juan worms and Y2Ks. Remember that the White and Norfork Rivers and Dry Run Creek are infected with didymo, an invasive alga. Be sure and thoroughly clean and dry your waders (especially the felt soles on wading boots) before using them in any other water. Many manufacturers are now making rubber soled wading boots that are easier to clean and are not as likely to harbor didymo. John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years.

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 5/30/2013 During the past week, we have had no rain, warm temperatures and heavy winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals fell one and three tenths feet to rest at eight and five tenths feet above power pool of 654.00 feet. This is thirty two and five tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock Lake rose one tenth of a foot to rest at one and eight tenths feet above power pool and fourteen and two tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake rose three tenths of a foot to rest at four and three tenths feet above power pool or five and three tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we have had significant generation and some wadable water. Norfork Lake fell two tenths of a foot to rest at four and eight tenths feet above power pool of 553.75 feet or twenty one and four tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we have had wadable water most days. The lakes in the White River system are all above the top of power pool and we are getting much more generation. I expect this trend to continue for the next few weeks. Our major mayfly hatch, the sulphurs, is beginning to come off. So far, this hatch has been very sparse. This is a size fourteen yellow/orange aquatic insect. Before the hatch, concentrate on fishing mayfly nymphs. My favorite is the copper John. When you observe fish feeding near the surface but see no insects, the trout are keying in on the emergers. The best fly for this phase is a partridge and orange soft hackle. Then, when you observe insects on the surface of the water and trout keying in on them, you switch over to the adult insect fly. My hands down choice is the sulphur parachute (size fourteen). On the White, we have had some wadable water. The hot spot has been Rim Shoals. The best time to fish is early morning or late in the afternoon. Midday can be slow. The hot flies were prince nymphs, zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, copper Johns, pink and cerise San Juan worms, gold ribbed hare’s ears and sowbugs. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise). Crooked Creek and the Buffalo River are navigable and both are receiving a lot of pressure. With summer here, the smallmouths are active. The most effective fly has been a tan and brown Clouser minnow. Carefully check the water level before entering Crooked Creek or the Buffalo River. There are no dams on these streams. They both have large drainages and are prone to flooding during and following any rain event. The water can rise very quickly. There has been wadable water on the Norfork almost every day. The action has picked up somewhat. With limited wadable water on the White, it can get crowded, particularly on the weekends. You should fish early or late to avoid the crowds. The most productive flies have been small (size 20 or smaller) midge patterns like zebra midges (black or red with silver wire and silver bead) and Dan’s turkey tail emerger or soft hackles like my green butt or the partridge and orange. There has also been a sparse hatch of very small mayflies; reliable hatches of midges (try a size 22 parachute Adams for both) and some smaller caddis (size 18). Grasshoppers have started producing fish, particularly when used in conjunction with a small nymph dropper (try a size 20 black zebra midge). Olive woolly buggers have also accounted for a lot of trout. The fishing is much better in the morning and late afternoon and tapers off midday. Dry Run Creek has fished well. The hot flies have been sowbugs and various colored San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot fluorescent pink and cerise). Small orange or peach eggs have been very effective. Use at least 4X tippet to increase your chances of landing these big fish. Carefully handle and release all trout. Take the biggest net that you can lay your hands on. Some of these fish are huge. While you are there take a few minutes to tour the adjacent Norfork National Fish Hatchery. It is fascinating. Be sure and remove your waders, before entering, to prevent the spread of aquatic diseases. The water level on the Spring River is fishable. This is a great place to wade fish when they are running water on the White and Norfork Rivers. Canoe season will began last weekend and the canoeists can a problem. Fish the upper river at the Lassiter Access to avoid them. Be sure to wear cleated boots and carry a wading staff. There is a lot of bedrock that can get very slick. The hot flies have been olive woolly buggers with a bit of flash, cerise and hot pink San Juan worms and Y2Ks. Remember that the White and Norfork Rivers and Dry Run Creek are infected with didymo, an invasive alga. Be sure and thoroughly clean and dry your waders (especially the felt soles on wading boots) before using them in any other water. Many manufacturers are now making rubber soled wading boots that are easier to clean and are not as likely to harbor didymo. John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years.

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 5/23/2013 During the past week, we have had a rain event (about an inch in Cotter), warm temperatures and heavy winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals rose seven tenths of a foot to rest at nine and eight tenths feet above power pool of 654.00 feet. This is thirty one and two tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock Lake fell three tenths of a foot at one and seven tenths feet above power pool and fourteen and three tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake rose one and four tenths feet to rest at four feet above power pool or five and six tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we have had significant generation and some wadable water. Norfork Lake remained steady at five feet above power pool of 553.75 feet or twenty one and two tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we have had wadable water most days. The lakes in the White River system are all above the top of power pool and we are getting much more generation. I expect this trend to continue for the next few weeks. Our major mayfly hatch, the sulphurs, is beginning to come off. This is a size fourteen yellow/orange aquatic insect. Before the hatch, concentrate on fishing mayfly nymphs. My favorite is the copper John. When you observe fish feeding near the surface but see no insects, the trout are keying in on the emergers. The best fly for this phase is a partridge and orange soft hackle. Then, when you observe insects on the surface of the water and trout keying in on them, you switch over to the adult insect fly. My hands down choice is the sulphur parachute (size fourteen). On the White, we have had some wadable water. The hot spot has been Wildcat Shoals. The best time to fish is early morning or late in the afternoon. Midday can be slow. The hot flies were prince nymphs, zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, copper Johns, pink and cerise San Juan worms, gold ribbed hare’s ears and sowbugs. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise). Crooked Creek and the Buffalo River are navigable. With spring here, the smallmouths are active. The most effective fly has been a tan and brown Clouser minnow. Carefully check the water level before entering Crooked Creek or the Buffalo River. There are no dams on these streams. They both have large drainages and are prone to flooding during and following any rain event. The water can rise very quickly. There has been wadable water on the Norfork almost every day. The action has picked up somewhat. With limited wadable water on the White, it can get crowded, particularly on the weekends. You should fish early or late to avoid the crowds. The most productive flies have been small (size 20 or smaller) midge patterns like zebra midges (black or red with silver wire and silver bead) and Dan’s turkey tail emerger or soft hackles like my green butt or the partridge and orange. There has also been a sparse hatch of very small mayflies; reliable hatches of midges (try a size 22 parachute Adams for both) and some smaller caddis (size 16). The crane flies have been hit or miss (try a size fourteen light Cahill or a partridge and yellow soft hackle). Olive woolly buggers have also accounted for a lot of trout. The fishing is much better in the morning and late afternoon and tapers off midday. Dry Run Creek has fished well. The hot flies have been sowbugs and various colored San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot fluorescent pink and cerise). Small orange or peach eggs have been very effective. Use at least 4X tippet to increase your chances of landing these big fish. Carefully handle and release all trout. Take the biggest net that you can lay your hands on. Some of these fish are huge. While you are there take a few minutes to tour the adjacent Norfork National Fish Hatchery. It is fascinating. Be sure and remove your waders, before entering, to prevent the spread of aquatic diseases. The water level on the Spring River is fishable. This is a great place to wade fish when they are running water on the White and Norfork Rivers. Canoe season will begin this weekend and the canoeists can a problem. Fish the upper river at the Lassiter Access to avoid them. Be sure to wear cleated boots and carry a wading staff. There is a lot of bedrock that can get very slick. The hot flies have been olive woolly buggers with a bit of flash, cerise and hot pink San Juan worms and Y2Ks. Remember that the White and Norfork Rivers and Dry Run Creek are infected with didymo, an invasive alga. Be sure and thoroughly clean and dry your waders (especially the felt soles on wading boots) before using them in any other water. Many manufacturers are now making rubber soled wading boots that are easier to clean and are not as likely to harbor didymo. Trout Unlimited will plant Bonneville Cutthroat trout eggs this Saturday from 6:00 AM until finished at a yet to be determined site. John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years.

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 5/16/2013 During the past week, we have had a couple of minor rain events, warm temperatures and moderate winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals rose one and eight tenths feet to rest at nine and one tenth feet above power pool of 654.00 feet. This is thirty one and nine tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock Lake rose two tenths of a foot to rest at two feet above power pool and fourteen feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake rose one and two tenths feet to rest at two and six tenths feet above power pool or seven feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we have had significant generation and no wadable water. Norfork Lake rose three tenths of a foot to rest at five feet above power pool of 553.75 feet or twenty one and two tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we have had wadable water most days. The lakes in the White River system are all above the top of power pool and we are getting much more generation. I expect this trend to continue for the next few weeks. Our major mayfly hatch, the sulphurs, is just beginning to come off. This is a size fourteen yellow/orange aquatic insect. Before the hatch, concentrate on fishing mayfly nymphs. My favorite is the copper John. When you observe fish feeding near the surface but see no insects, the trout are keying in on the emergers. The best fly for this phase is a partridge and orange soft hackle. Then, when you observe insects on the surface of the water and trout keying in on them, you switch over to the adult insect fly. My hands down choice is the sulphur parachute (size fourteen). On the White, we have had no wadable water. The hot spot has been the section from White Hole down to Wildcat Shoals. The best time to fish is early morning or late in the afternoon. Midday can be slow. The hot flies were prince nymphs, zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, copper Johns, pink and cerise San Juan worms, gold ribbed hare’s ears and sowbugs. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise). Crooked Creek and the Buffalo River are navigable. With spring here, the smallmouths are active. The most effective fly has been a tan and brown Clouser minnow. Carefully check the water level before entering Crooked Creek or the Buffalo River. There are no dams on these streams. They both have large drainages and are prone to flooding during and following any rain event. The water can rise very quickly. There has been wadable water on the Norfork almost every day. The action has picked up somewhat. With no wadable water on the White, it can get crowded, particularly on the weekends. You should fish early or late to avoid the crowds. The most productive flies have been small (size 20 or smaller) midge patterns like zebra midges (black or red with silver wire and silver bead) and Dan’s turkey tail emerger or soft hackles like my green butt or the partridge and orange. There has also been a sparse hatch of very small mayflies; reliable hatches of midges (try a size 22 parachute Adams for both) and some smaller caddis (size 16). The crane flies have been hit or miss (try a size fourteen light Cahill or a partridge and yellow soft hackle). Olive woolly buggers have also accounted for a lot of trout. The fishing is much better in the morning and late afternoon and tapers off midday. Dry Run Creek has fished well. The hot flies have been sowbugs and various colored San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot fluorescent pink and cerise). Small orange or peach eggs have been very effective. Use at least 4X tippet to increase your chances of landing these big fish. Carefully handle and release all trout. Take the biggest net that you can lay your hands on. Some of these fish are huge. While you are there take a few minutes to tour the adjacent Norfork National Fish Hatchery. It is fascinating. Be sure and remove your waders, before entering, to prevent the spread of aquatic diseases. The water level on the Spring River is fishable. This is a great place to wade fish when they are running water on the White and Norfork Rivers. Canoe season will soon begin and the canoeists can a problem. Fish the upper river at the Lassiter Access to avoid them. Be sure to wear cleated boots and carry a wading staff. There is a lot of bedrock that can get very slick. The hot flies have been olive woolly buggers with a bit of flash, cerise and hot pink San Juan worms and Y2Ks. Remember that the White and Norfork Rivers and Dry Run Creek are infected with didymo, an invasive alga. Be sure and thoroughly clean and dry your waders (especially the felt soles on wading boots) before using them in any other water. Many manufacturers are now making rubber soled wading boots that are easier to clean and are not as likely to harbor didymo. Practice water safety and always check conditions before you leave home. John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years.

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 5/09/2013 During the past week, we have had a significant rain event (an inch in Cotter), warmer temperatures and heavy winds (to include lake wind advisories). The lake level at Bull Shoals rose one and one tenth feet to rest at seven and three tenths feet above power pool of 654.00 feet. This is thirty three and seven tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock Lake rose five tenths of a foot to rest at one and eight tenths feet above power pool and fourteen and two tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake rose seven tenths of a foot to rest at one and four tenths feet above power pool or eight and two tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we have had significant generation and no wadable water. Norfork Lake rose seven tenths of a foot to rest at four and seven tenths feet above power pool of 553.75 feet or twenty one and five tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we have had wadable water most days. The lakes in the White River system are all above the top of power pool and we are getting much more generation. I expect this trend to continue for the next few weeks. Our most prolific hatch of the year, the Rhyacophilia caddis, is on the wane. Our major mayfly hatch, the sulphurs, are next to come off. This is a size fourteen yellow/orange aquatic insect. Before the hatch, concentrate on fishing mayfly nymphs. My favorite is the copper John. When you observe fish feeding near the surface but see no insects, the trout are keying in on the emergers. The best fly for this phase is a partridge and orange soft hackle. Then, when you observe insects on the surface of the water and trout keying in on them, you switch over to the adult insect fly. My hands down choice is the sulphur parachute (size fourteen). On the White, we have had no wadable water. The hot spot has been the section from White Hole down to Wildcat Shoals. The best time to fish is early morning or late in the afternoon. Midday can be slow. The hot flies were prince nymphs, zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, copper Johns, pink and cerise San Juan worms, gold ribbed hare’s ears and sowbugs. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise). Crooked Creek and the Buffalo River are navigable. With spring here, the smallmouths are beginning to get active. The most effective fly has been a tan and brown Clouser minnow. Carefully check the water level before entering Crooked Creek or the Buffalo River. There are no dams on these streams. They both have large drainages and are prone to flooding during and following any rain event. The water can rise very quickly. There has been wadable water on the Norfork almost every day. The action has picked up somewhat. With no wadable water on the White, it has been crowded, particularly on the weekends. You should fish early or late to avoid the crowds. The most productive flies have been small (size 20 or smaller) midge patterns like zebra midges (black or red with silver wire and silver bead) and Dan’s turkey tail emerger or soft hackles like my green butt or the partridge and orange. There has also been a sparse hatch of very small mayflies; reliable hatches of midges (try a size 22 parachute Adams for both) and some smaller caddis (size 16). The crane flies have been hit or miss (try a size fourteen light Cahill or a partridge and yellow soft hackle). Olive woolly buggers have also accounted for a lot of trout. The fishing is much better in the morning and late afternoon and tapers off midday. Dry Run Creek has fished well. The hot flies have been sowbugs and various colored San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot fluorescent pink and cerise). Small orange or peach eggs have been very effective. Use at least 4X tippet to increase your chances of landing these big fish. Carefully handle and release all trout. Take the biggest net that you can lay your hands on. Some of these fish are huge. While you are there take a few minutes to tour the adjacent Norfork national fish Hatchery. It is fascinating. Be sure and remove your waders, before entering, to prevent the spread of aquatic diseases. The water level on the Spring River is fishable. This is a great place to wade fish when they are running water on the White and Norfork Rivers. Canoe season has not begun and the few boaters still around should not prove to be a problem. The hot spot is the Dam Three Access. Be sure to wear cleated boots and carry a wading staff. There is a lot of bedrock that can get very slick. The hot flies have been olive woolly buggers with a bit of flash, cerise and hot pink San Juan worms and Y2Ks. Remember that the White and Norfork Rivers and Dry Run Creek are infected with didymo, an invasive alga. Be sure and thoroughly clean and dry your waders (especially the felt soles on wading boots) before using them in any other water. Many manufacturers are now making rubber soled wading boots that are easier to clean and are not as likely to harbor didymo. Practice water safety and always check conditions before you leave home. John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years.

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 5/02/2013 During the past week, we have had a significant rain event (an inch and a half in Cotter), warmer then cooler temperatures and heavy winds (to include lake wind advisories). As I am writing this, we are expecting more rain. The lake level at Bull Shoals rose two and two tenths feet to rest at six and two tenths feet above power pool of 654.00 feet. This is thirty four and eight tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock Lake rose a foot to rest at one and three tenths feet above power pool and fourteen and seven tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake rose one and six tenths feet to rest at seven tenths of a foot above power pool or eight and nine tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we have had significant generation and no wadable water. Norfork Lake rose two and five tenths feet to rest at four feet above power pool of 553.75 feet or twenty two and two tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we have had wadable water most days. The lakes in the White River system are all above the top of power pool and we are getting much more generation. I expect this trend to continue for the next few weeks. Our most prolific hatch of the year, the Rhyacophilia caddis, is on the wane a bit. Our major mayfly hatch, the sulphurs are next to come off. This is a size fourteen yellow/orange aquatic insect. Before the hatch, concentrate on fishing mayfly nymphs. My favorite is the copper John. When you observe fish feeding near the surface but see no insects, the trout are keying in on the emergers. The best fly for this phase is a partridge and orange soft hackle. Then, when you observe insects on the surface of the water and trout keying in on them, you switch over to the adult insect fly. My hands down choice is the sulphur parachute (size fourteen). On the White, we have had no wadable water. The hot spot has been the section from Wildcat Shoals down to Cotter. The best time to fish is early morning or late in the afternoon. Midday can be slow. The hot flies were prince nymphs, zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, copper Johns, pink and cerise San Juan worms, gold ribbed hare’s ears and sowbugs. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise). Crooked Creek and the Buffalo River are navigable but with the impending rain I would carefully monitor the water level before venturing out. With spring here, the smallmouth are beginning to get active. Look for water temperatures over 55 degrees. Carefully check the water level before entering Crooked Creek or the Buffalo River. There are no dams on these streams. They both have large drainages and are prone to flooding during and following any rain event. The water can rise very quickly. There has been wadable water on the Norfork almost every day. The action has picked up somewhat. With no wadable water on the White, it has been very crowded, particularly on the weekends. You should fish early or late to avoid the crowds. The most productive flies have been small (size 20 or smaller) midge patterns like zebra midges (black or red with silver wire and silver bead) and Dan’s turkey tail emerger or soft hackles like my green butt or the partridge and orange. There has also been a sparse hatch of very small mayflies; reliable hatches of midges (try a size 22 parachute Adams for both) and some smaller caddis (size 16). The crane flies have been hit or miss (try a size fourteen light Cahill or a partridge and yellow soft hackle). Olive woolly buggers have also accounted for a lot of trout. The fishing is much better in the morning and late afternoon and tapers off midday. Dry Run Creek has fished well. Spring break is mostly over and the stream is not too crowded. Now is a good time to fish there. The hot flies have been sowbugs and various colored San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot fluorescent pink and cerise). Small orange or peach eggs have been very effective. Use at least 4X tippet to increase your chances of landing these big fish. Carefully handle and release all trout. Take the biggest net that you can lay your hands on. Some of these fish are huge. The water level on the Spring River is fishable. This is a great place to wade fish when they are running water on the White and Norfork Rivers. Canoe season has not begun and the few boaters still around should not prove to be a problem. The hot spot is the Dam Three Access. Be sure to wear cleated boots and carry a wading staff. There is a lot of bedrock that can get very slick. The hot flies have been olive woolly buggers with a bit of flash, cerise and hot pink San Juan worms and Y2Ks. Remember that the White and Norfork Rivers and Dry Run Creek are infected with didymo, an invasive alga. Be sure and thoroughly clean and dry your waders (especially the felt soles on wading boots) before using them in any other water. Many manufacturers are now making rubber soled wading boots that are easier to clean and are not as likely to harbor didymo. Practice water safety and always check conditions before you leave home. John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years.

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 4/25/2013 During the past week, we have had a significant rain event (a bit over an inch in Cotter), warmer then cooler temperatures and heavy winds (to include lake wind advisories). The lake level at Bull Shoals rose four and one tenth feet to rest at four feet above power pool of 654.00 feet. This is thirty seven feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock Lake rose three tenths of a foot to rest at three tenths of a foot above power pool and fifteen and seven tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake rose one and five tenths feet to rest at nine tenths of a foot below power pool or ten and five tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we have had significantly more generation and no wadable water. Norfork Lake rose one and seven tenths feet to rest at one and five tenths feet above power pool of 553.75 feet or twenty four and seven tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we have had wadable water most days. The lakes in the White River system are at or above the top of power pool and we are getting much more generation than we have been receiving. I expect this trend to continue for the next few weeks. Our most prolific hatch of the year, the Rhyacophilia caddis, is still active, though on the wane a bit. This is a size fourteen bright green aquatic insect. Before the hatch, concentrate on fishing caddis pupae patterns in green (size fourteen). My favorite is the fluttering caddis. When you observe fish feeding near the surface but see no insects, the trout are keying in on the emergers. The best fly for this phase is my green butt (size fifteen). Then, when you observe insects on the surface of the water and trout keying in on them, you switch over to the adult insect fly. My hands down choice is the elk hair caddis in green (size fourteen). On the White, we have had no wadable water. The hot spot has been the Catch and Release section below Bull Shoals Dam. The best time to fish is early morning or late in the afternoon. Midday can be slow. The hot flies were prince nymphs, zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, copper Johns, pink and cerise San Juan worms, gold ribbed hare’s ears and sowbugs. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise). Crooked Creek and the Buffalo River are navigable. With spring here, the smallmouth are beginning to get active. Look for water temperatures over 55 degrees. Carefully check the water level before entering Crooked Creek or the Buffalo River. There are no dams on these streams. They both have large drainages and are prone to flooding during and following any rain event. The water can rise very quickly. There has been wadable water on the Norfork almost every day. The action has picked up somewhat. With no wadable water on the White, it has been very crowded, particularly on the weekends. You should fish early or late to avoid the crowds. The most productive flies have been small (size 20 or smaller) midge patterns like zebra midges (black or red with silver wire and silver bead) and Dan’s turkey tail emerger or soft hackles like my green butt or the partridge and orange. There has also been a sparse hatch of very small mayflies; reliable hatches of midges (try a size 22 parachute Adams for both) and some smaller caddis (size 16). The crane flies have also been active (try a size fourteen light Cahill or a partridge and yellow soft hackle). Olive woolly buggers have also accounted for a lot of trout. The fishing is much better in the morning and late afternoon and tapers off midday. Dry Run Creek has fished well. Spring break is mostly over and the stream is not too crowded. Now is a good time to fish there. The hot flies have been sowbugs and various colored San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot fluorescent pink and cerise). Small orange or peach eggs have been very effective. Use at least 4X tippet to increase your chances of landing these big fish. Carefully handle and release all trout. Take the biggest net that you can lay your hands on. Some of these fish are huge. While you are there, take a tour of the adjacent Norfork National Fish Hatchery. It is fascinating. Be sure and remove your waders before entering to prevent the spread of aquatic diseases. The water level on the Spring River is fishable. This is a great place to wade fish when they are running water on the White and Norfork Rivers. Canoe season has not begun and the few boaters still around should not prove to be a problem. The hot spot is the Dam Three Access. Be sure to wear cleated boots and carry a wading staff. There is a lot of bedrock that can get very slick. The hot flies have been olive woolly buggers with a bit of flash, cerise and hot pink San Juan worms and Y2Ks. Remember that the White and Norfork Rivers and Dry Run Creek are infected with didymo, an invasive alga. Be sure and thoroughly clean and dry your waders (especially the felt soles on wading boots) before using them in any other water. Many manufacturers are now making rubber soled wading boots that are easier to clean and are not as likely to harbor didymo. Practice water safety and always check conditions before you leave home. John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years. John can be reached at (870) 435-2169 or http://www.berrybrothersguides.com.

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 4/18/2013 During the past week, we have had a rain event, warmer then cooler temperatures and heavy winds (to include lake wind advisories). The lake level at Bull Shoals rose four tenths of a foot to rest at one tenth of a foot below power pool of 654.00 feet. This is forty one and one tenth feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock Lake rose seven tenths of a foot to rest at power pool and sixteen feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake rose one foot to rest at two and four tenths feet below power pool or twelve feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we have had little generation with significant periods of wadable water. Norfork Lake rose two tenths of a foot to rest at three tenths of a foot below power pool of 553.75 feet or twenty six and five tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we have had wadable water most days. Though the lakes in the White River system are inching up towards the top of power pool, they are mostly still below flood pool and we should continue to receive significant wadable water. Our most prolific hatch of the year, the Rhyacophilia caddis, is still active, though on the wane a bit. This is a size fourteen bright green aquatic insect. Before the hatch, concentrate on fishing caddis pupae patterns in green (size fourteen). My favorite is the fluttering caddis. When you observe fish feeding near the surface but see no insects, the trout are keying in on the emergers. The best fly for this phase is my green butt (size fifteen). Then, when you observe insects on the surface of the water and trout keying in on them, you switch over to the adult insect fly. My hands down choice is the elk hair caddis in green (size fourteen). On the White, we have had more wadable water. The hot spot has been the section from Wildcat Shoals down to Cotter. The best time to fish is early morning or late in the afternoon. The hot flies were prince nymphs, zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, copper Johns, pink and cerise San Juan worms, gold ribbed hare’s ears and olive scuds. Egg patterns have accounted for many trout. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise). The trout have also been active on soft hackles like my green butt or the partridge and orange and Dan’s turkey tail emerger. Crooked Creek and the Buffalo River are navigable. With spring here, the smallmouth are beginning to get active. Look for water temperatures over 55 degrees. Carefully check the water level before entering Crooked Creek or the Buffalo River. There are no dams on these streams. They both have large drainages and are prone to flooding during and following any rain event. The water can rise very quickly. There has been wadable water on the Norfork most days. The action has picked up somewhat and it has been a bit less crowded with more wadable water on the White. The most productive flies have been small midge patterns like zebra midges (black or red with silver wire and silver bead) and Dan’s turkey tail emerger or soft hackles like my green butt or the partridge and orange. There has also been a sparse hatch of very small mayflies; reliable hatches of midges (try a size 22 parachute Adams for both) and some smaller caddis (size 16). The crane flies have also been active (try a size fourteen light Cahill). Olive woolly buggers have also accounted for a lot of trout. The fishing is much better in the morning and late afternoon and tapers off midday. Dry Run Creek has fished well. Spring break is mostly over and the stream is not too crowded. Now is a good time to fish there. The hot flies have been sowbugs and various colored San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot fluorescent pink and cerise). Small orange or peach eggs have been very effective. Use at least 4X tippet to increase your chances of landing these big fish. Carefully handle and release all trout. Take the biggest net that you can lay your hands on. Some of these fish are huge. While you are there, take a tour of the adjacent Norfork National Fish Hatchery. It is fascinating. Be sure and remove your waders before entering to prevent the spread of aquatic diseases. The water level on the Spring River is a fishable. This is a great place to wade fish when they are running water on the White and Norfork Rivers. Canoe season has not begun and the few boaters still around should not prove to be a problem. The hot spot is the Dam Three Access. Be sure to wear cleated boots and carry a wading staff. There is a lot of bedrock that can get very slick. The hot flies have been olive woolly buggers with a bit of flash, cerise and hot pink San Juan worms and Y2Ks. Remember that the White and Norfork Rivers and Dry Run Creek are infected with didymo, an invasive alga. Be sure and thoroughly clean and dry your waders (especially the felt soles on wading boots) before using them in any other water. Many manufacturers are now making rubber soled wading boots that are easier to clean and are not as likely to harbor didymo. Do not for get to sign up for our intermediate fly fishing class at ASU Mountain Home. Practice water safety and always check conditions before you leave home. John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years.

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 4/04/2013 During the past week, we have had a few rain events, cooler temperatures and heavy winds (to include lake wind advisories). The lake level at Bull Shoals rose nine tenths of a foot to rest at one foot below power pool of 654.00 feet. This is forty two feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock Lake rose one foot to rest at one foot below power pool and seventeen and two tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake rose one and five tenths feet to rest at four and three tenths feet below power pool or thirteen and nine tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we have had little generation with significant periods of wadable water. Norfork Lake rose one and two tenths feet to rest at one foot below power pool of 553.75 feet or twenty seven and three tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we have had wadable water most days. Though the lakes in the White River system are inching up towards the top of power pool, they are still below flood pool and we should continue to receive more wadable water. Our most prolific hatch of the year, the Rhyacophilia caddis, is still active. This is a size fourteen bright green aquatic insect. Before the hatch, concentrate on fishing caddis pupae patterns in green (size fourteen). My favorite is the fluttering caddis. When you observe fish feeding near the surface but see no insects, the trout are keying in on the emergers. The best fly for this phase is my green butt (size fifteen). Then, when you observe insects on the surface of the water and trout keying in on them, you switch over to the adult insect fly. My hands down choice is the elk hair caddis in green (size fourteen). On the White, we have had more wadable water. The hot spot has been the section from Wildcat Shoals down to Cotter. The best time to fish is early morning or late in the afternoon. The hot flies were prince nymphs, zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, copper Johns, pink and cerise San Juan worms, gold ribbed hare’s ears and olive scuds. Egg patterns have accounted for many trout. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise). The trout have also been active on soft hackles like my green butt or the partridge and orange and Dan’s turkey tail emerger. Crooked Creek and the Buffalo River are navigable. With spring here, we are not far from the time when the smallmouth become more active. Look for water temperatures over 55 degrees. Carefully check the water level before entering Crooked Creek or the Buffalo River. There are no dams on these streams. They both have large drainages and are prone to flooding during and following any rain event. The water can rise very quickly. There has been wadable water on the Norfork most days. The action has picked up somewhat and it has been a bit less crowded with more wadable water on the White. The most productive flies have been small midge patterns like zebra midges (black or red with silver wire and silver bead) and Dan’s turkey tail emerger or soft hackles like my green butt or the partridge and orange. Some local dry fly enthusiasts have had great success by keying in on a crane fly hatch that is best imitated with a light Cahill dry fly in size fourteen. There has also been a sparse hatch of very small mayflies; reliable hatches of midges (try a size 22 parachute Adams for both) and some smaller caddis (size 16). Olive woolly buggers have also accounted for a lot of trout. The fishing is much better in the morning and tapers off in the afternoon. Dry Run Creek has fished well, the crowds associated with spring breaks has thinned a bit and now is a good time to fish there. The hot flies have been sowbugs and various colored San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot fluorescent pink and cerise). Small orange or peach eggs have been very effective. Use at least 4X tippet to increase your chances of landing these big fish. Carefully handle and release all trout. Take the biggest net that you can lay your hands on. Some of these fish are huge. The water level on the Spring River is a fishable. This is a great place to wade fish when they are running water on the White and Norfork Rivers. Canoe season is over and the few boaters still around should not prove to be a problem. The hot spot is the Dam Three Access. Be sure to wear cleated boots and carry a wading staff. There is a lot of bedrock that can get very slick. The hot flies have been olive woolly buggers with a bit of flash, cerise and hot pink San Juan worms and Y2Ks. Remember that the White and Norfork Rivers and Dry Run Creek are infected with didymo, an invasive alga. Be sure and thoroughly clean and dry your waders (especially the felt soles on wading boots) before using them in any other water. Many manufacturers are now making rubber soled wading boots that are easier to clean and are not as likely to harbor didymo. Be sure and attend the White River TU event this Saturday at the Elks Club in Mountain Home, Arkansas. Practice water safety and always check conditions before you leave home. John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years. John can be reached at (870) 435-2169 or http://www.berrybrothersguides.com.